Good Graph Friday: You're working harder, they're making money

A new graphic from Mother Jones shows what many of us suspect: We’ve gotten a lot more productive in recent years, but our wages haven’t reflected that.

The richest Americans, on the other hand, appear to be doing a better job reaping the rewards of everyone’s hard work.

The graphic, which uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Congressional Budget Office, Census Bureau and the Economic Policy Institute, shows that productivity has risen steadily over the past three decades, while overall wages have barely changed.

Meanwhile, the nation’s wealthiest have seen their income surge.

The chart is part of a series the left-leaning magazine is running on what it calls “The Great Speedup.” That’s a reference to the old trick of speeding up the production line and asking workers to make more widgets faster.

Sound familiar: Mind racing at 4 a.m.? Guiltily realizing you've been only half-listening to your child for the past hour? Checking work email at a stoplight, at the dinner table, in bed? Dreading once-pleasant diversions, like dinner with friends, as just one more thing on your to-do list?